It's after the thieves (or thief) dumped piles of stolen items near a Colorado Springs business. Employees at Classic Homes on Corporate Drive discovered the things, stashed in trash bags, suitcases and backpacks, in the parking lot Tuesday morning.

An employee told KRDO Newschannel 13 that what really caught his eye were checks and credit cards. Classic Homes employees contacted victims and let police use a room in the business to sort through everything.

"Every piece of everything that we find, we're very grateful," said theft victim Donna, who opted not to give her last name. "It's like Christmas all over again."

Donna and her husband Rich estimated that $15,000 worth of things were stolen from their home. Donna was able to get back her father's pocket watch and some costume jewelery.

"I'm just finding little bits and pieces," Donna said. "We're just going through it. We're just happy to have some of the pieces back."

Colorado Springs police said they are working to identify theft victims, and so far, officers have found victims living in different parts of the state, not just Colorado Springs.

"Valuables, money, checks, identity stuff, savings bonds," said Rich of what was stolen by the thieves. "And they're apparently out there right now cashing checks at Sams and Walmarts and Office Depots and other locations."

Rich said his lesson in what happened is to take more precautions to protect his home.

"Our big problem? We were complacent," he said. "We didn't have our burglar alarm system on and our neighborhood watch wasn't watching."

CSPD said it's working to identify who's to blame for the crimes. A spokesperson said it's still unclear if it's a theft ring or just one person.

Police also found a syringe and drug paraphernalia among the stolen items, indicating drug use was involved.

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